Changes to the producer offset system’s eligibility to include soap operas and other drama series have been made by Australia’s federal government. This implies that “Home and Away” on Channel Seven is now eligible for subsidies.
A tax refund known as the producer offset is given to producers for costs related to qualifying Australian motion pictures, television shows, and other projects.
Currently, qualifying Australian production expenditure—which includes costs for goods and services used or provided in Australia—must be spent by a drama series to be eligible, and the minimum amount per hour is A$500,000 ($336,000).
Who will be eligible for the revised subsidy system?
Drama series that invest at least $35 million ($23.5 million) in qualifying Australian production expenditure per season—regardless of whether they meet the required spending per hour—will now be eligible for the offset under the revised system.
Dramatic series that start filming after July 1, 2024, are eligible for this new season-by-season threshold.
Tony Burke, the federal Minister for the Arts, states that encouraging Australian drama is essential to reaching the goal of increasing the representation of Australian stories on screen. Burke said, “This change will help to support more iconic Australian stories being told and shared by the people who know them best.”
The lives and interpersonal relationships of the people who live in Summer Bay, a made-up town in New South Wales, are the subject of “Home and Away,” the second longest-running TV drama series in Australia after “Neighbours.”
Since 1988, it has been broadcast on Channel Seven four days a week. It has been licensed to broadcasters and streaming services in about 80 countries.
The only surviving original cast member in the current production is Alf Stewart. Stars such as Michael Palin, Ed Sheeran, and Atomic Kitten have made memorable cameos on the show. From 2004 to 2007, Chris Hemsworth—who would go on to become well-known as a Marvel superhero—was a cast member for nearly 200 episodes.
Know more about Home and Away
Created by Alan Bateman, “Home and Away” is an Australian television soap opera that debuted on the Seven Network on January 17, 1988.
During a visit to Kangaroo Point, New South Wales, where residents were raising concerns about the construction of a foster home and the idea of city foster children living there, Bateman had the idea for the show. After production started, the title “Home and Away” was used instead of the original “Refuge,” which was meant to be more welcoming.
According to Bateman, the show debuted as a ninety-minute telefeature instead of a traditional pilot. The episodes that followed all continued to run for twenty-two minutes. The only drama series on Australian television longer than “Home and Away” is “Neighbours.” It currently airs in Australia at 7:00 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays.
What is the story of Home and Away?
The movie “Home and Away” depicts the romantic pursuits and interwoven lives of the people living in Summer Bay, a fictional coastal town in New South Wales.
The Fletcher family, which consisted of Tom (Roger Oakley) and Pippa (Vanessa Downing), and their five foster children—Frank Morgan (Alex Papps), Carly Morris (Sharyn Hodgson), Lynn Davenport (Helena Bozich), Steven Matheson (Adam Willits), and Sally Fletcher (Kate Ritchie)—were the main subjects of the television show at first.
After moving from the city to oversee the caravan park at Summer Bay House, they later took in Bobby Simpson (Nicolle Dickson), a sixth foster child.
With adult-themed plots including teen pregnancy, rape, drug and alcohol addiction, drug overdose, and attempted suicide in just its first season, “Home and Away” wasn’t without controversy.
Over the years, the show tackled similar topics while frequently going beyond the constraints of its allotted time slot. Since 1988, Summer Bay has been set against the backdrop of Palm Beach in Sydney’s Northern Beaches; most exterior scenes are shot there, while interior scenes are filmed at the Australian Technology Park in Redfern.
